On August 22, Moderna announced that FDA approved its supplemental Biologics License Application (“sBLA”) for a new formula of their COVID-19 vaccine, SPIKEVAX®, for individuals 12 years old and above. Emergency Use...more
We previously reported on the litigation brought by ModernaTX, Inc. and Moderna US, Inc. (collectively, “Moderna”) against BioNTech SE, BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH, BioNTech US Inc. (collectively, “BioNTech”), and Pfizer Inc....more
The average vacancy rate for laboratory and research and development space across the top 13 U.S. life sciences markets stood at 9% in the second quarter, up more than four percentage points from a year earlier and more than...more
Partner Dan Shores will present a webinar titled "The mRNA/Lipid Nanoparticle Competitive and Litigation Landscape" for Medmarc, the leading expert in the products liability risks facing medical technology and life sciences...more
Last Friday, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Alnylam”) filed new complaints for patent infringement in the District of Delaware against Pfizer and Moderna. This is the third time Alnylam has sued Pfizer and Moderna in...more
The Federal Circuit has held that the claims of a “SNALP” patent were inherently anticipated by prior art. In Arbutus Biopharma Corp. v. ModernaTX, Inc., Arbutus appealed a decision in an inter partes proceeding by the Patent...more
Last week, Arbutus Biopharma Corp. and Genevant Sciences GmbH (collectively, Arbutus) filed a complaint for patent infringement in the District of New Jersey against Pfizer, Inc. and BioNTech SE....more
I recently wrote about the patent infringement lawsuit filed by Moderna against Pfizer/BioNTech over the COVID-19 vaccine. In its complaint filed in federal district court in Boston last August, Moderna alleged that...more
Substantial patent litigation activity occurred in the mRNA space in 2022, involving nearly all of the major mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) pioneers. Since this is the most significant happening in this space with respect...more
One of the most amazing accomplishments in the field of biotechnology has been the development and distribution of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID 19). The numbers tell the story. The time from when the coronavirus’...more
Moderna has sued Pfizer and BioNTech in Massachusetts and Germany (where the defendants are based), claiming that the companies violated three of its patents related to mRNA technology used to develop COVID-19 vaccines....more
Several patent litigations have been filed involving mRNA pioneers such as Moderna, Inc. and BioNTech, Inc. (with Pfizer) over the past year relating to sales of the Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine products...more
The DOJ announced charges against 21 people across nine federal districts for their alleged role in pandemic-related fraud schemes resulting in over $149 million in false billings to federal programs. This is the largest...more
Moderna has been engaged in a patent dispute with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over whether three NIH scientists should be named as inventors for discovering the genetic sequence that’s central to the vaccine. ...more
In the first major patent infringement lawsuit in the mRNA space, on February 28, 2022, Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (“Arbutus”) and Genevant Sciences GmbH (“Genevant”) sued Moderna, Inc. and ModernaTX, Inc. (collectively...more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently undertaken a number of notable actions with respect to vaccines in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic....more
For those of you who know me, I like to have fun with my Zoom backgrounds – choosing photos of interesting scenery or changing them mid-call to reflect my mood or negotiating strategy. Sitting in front of my computer this...more
Ranges for Interdependent and Interactive Components Can Be Tricky to Derive - In Modernatx, Inc. v. Arbutus Biopharma Corporation, Appeal No. 20-2329, the Federal Circuit held that a presumption of obviousness based on...more
In the past week, the FDA authorized Pfizer’s and Merck’s oral antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19. The Biden-Harris Administration released the Trucking Action Plan. The CDC endorsed ACIP recommendation of preference...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found, in the context of an appeal from an inter partes review (IPR) decision, that the appellant had Article III standing and affirmed a Patent Trial & Appeal Board (Board)...more
MODERNATX, INC. v. ARBUTUS BIOPHARMA CORPORATION - Before Lourie, O’Malley, and Stoll. Appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: Sublicensee’s theory of royalty-based injury was too speculative to...more
MODERNATX, INC. v. ARBUTUS BIOPHARMA CORPORATION - Before Lourie, O’Malley and Stoll. Appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: A presumption of obviousness based on overlapping ranges requires showing...more
Don’t doubt the central role that vaccines are playing in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. Federal officials - even as the Delta-variant surge is easing - have dominated the news by approving yet more...more
As the summer’s deadly Delta variant surge slowly seems to be receding, questions are rising anew as to what further harms the coronavirus pandemic may inflict on a nation that already has suffered greatly. The infection...more
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration gave permanent approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Similar approval of the Moderna vaccine may be forthcoming, with eventual approval of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot...more